Wireless audio output devices

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for determining when to wirelessly communicatively couple together a pair of untethered wireless audio output devices and for determining when to erase a connection history stored on one or both of the wireless audio output devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/285,023, entitled “WIRELESS AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICES,” FILED Feb. 25,2019, set to issue as U.S. Pat. No. 11,095,967 on Aug. 17, 2021, whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/171,310,entitled “WIRELESS AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICES,” filed Jun. 2, 2016, issued asU.S. Pat. No. 10,219,062 on Feb. 26, 2019, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/171,376, entitled “WIRELESS AUDIODEVICES,” filed Jun. 5, 2015, the contents of all of which areincorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes.

This Application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/120,059, entitled “WIRELESS AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICES,” filed Aug. 31,2018, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,524,037 on December 31, 2019 and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/273,655, entitled “WIRELESS AUDIO OUTPUTDEVICES,” filed Sep. 22, 2016, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10/070,212 onSep. 4, 2018, the contents of all of which are incorporated by referenceherein in their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The present technology pertains to communications devices, including topairing of accessory devices, such as wireless audio output devices, foruse with one or more companion wireless communications devices, such assources of wireless audio data.

BACKGROUND

Headphones have long been used to play audio from electronic devices.More recently, wireless headphones have become more frequently used.Wireless headphones, however, that are known to an electronic device aretethered together. Additionally, wireless headphones that are known toan electronic device can be freely placed into a discovery mode thatcould be used to communicatively couple the wireless headphones with anew electronic device without erasing existing connection history.

SUMMARY

Features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or can be learned by practice of the herein disclosedprinciples. The features and advantages of the disclosure can berealized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and otherfeatures of the disclosure will become more fully apparent from thefollowing description and appended claims, or can be learned by thepractice of the principles set forth herein.

Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readablestorage media for determining when to couple a pair of un-tetheredwireless ear buds and determining when to erase connection history onthe wireless ear buds.

Some embodiments of the present technology involve a wireless ear budcase for housing a pair of wireless ear buds and further containing aprocessor, a network interface, and a user input for determining when tocommunicatively couple the wireless ear buds and when to eraseconnection history on the wireless ear buds. The wireless ear buds canalso include a network interface and a memory location that stores adevice address, a paired partner device address (if applicable), and acompanion communication device connection history. The processor caninspect a memory location on the wireless ear buds, via the networkinterface, to determine whether the wireless ear buds storecorresponding paired partner device addresses with one another.

When the wireless ear buds have corresponding paired partner deviceaddresses stored for one another, the wireless ear bud case candetermine that the wireless ear buds are already communicatively coupledto each other. Alternatively, when the wireless ear buds do not havecorresponding paired partner device addresses stored for one another,the wireless ear bud case can determine that the wireless ear buds arenot already communicatively coupled to each other. Additionally, thewireless ear buds themselves can determine whether they arecommunicatively coupled with each other.

The wireless ear bud case can also detect an input that requests thatthe first wireless ear bud communicatively couple with the secondwireless ear bud and to allow the first wireless ear bud to bediscoverable by a companion communication device. When a request isreceived to pair the wireless ear buds with the companion communicationdevice, the wireless ear buds communicatively couple with one another,and the wireless ear bud case erases any wireless link keys stored onthe wireless ear buds. Also, the wireless ear bud case associates thedevice addresses as paired partner device addresses to indicate that thewireless ear buds are already communicatively coupled. Additionally, thewireless ear buds can store a link key for pairing with the companioncommunication device.

Some embodiments of the present technology involve systems, methods, andnon-transitory computer-readable storage media for communicativelycoupling a pair of untethered, wireless ear buds. In someimplementations, communicatively coupling wireless ear buds involvesdetecting a button being pushed on a wireless ear bud case, inspectingfirmware of both wireless ear buds housed within the wireless ear budcase, and selecting the wireless ear bud that includes the more recentfirmware as the primary wireless ear bud. The primary wireless ear budcan be disconnected from any existing connections to one or more otherwireless ear buds and/or to other communication devices, and a pairingmode can be enabled to pair the primary wireless ear bud with acompanion communication device. After determining that the primarywireless ear bud has successfully paired with a companion communicationdevice, the wireless ear bud case can cause the primary wireless ear budto send to a secondary wireless ear bud the more recent firmware andcause the secondary wireless ear bud to enter a communicative couplingmode, thereby erasing any user history data associated with one or morepreviously paired devices. Next, the wireless ear bud case can cause theprimary wireless ear bud to wirelessly communicatively couple to thesecondary wireless ear bud, store address information (such as a MediaAccess Control (MAC) address and/or link keys) for the secondarywireless ear bud on the primary wireless ear bud, and store addressinformation for the primary wireless ear bud on the secondary wirelessear bud.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a moreparticular description of the principles briefly described above will berendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawingsdepict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principlesherein are described and explained with additional specificity anddetail through the use of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example wireless ear bud case according to someembodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example wireless ear bud that can communicativelycouple with another wireless ear bud to form a pair of untethered,wireless ear buds according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example method of communicatively coupling a pairof untethered, wireless ear buds according to some embodiments of thepresent technology.

FIGS. 3A to 3I illustrate a variety of example scenarios in whichwireless ear buds housed together within a wireless ear bud case areeither communicatively coupled or not and either have connection historydata erased or not.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example method of determining when tocommunicatively couple wireless ear buds housed in a wireless ear budcase and when to make the wireless ear buds discoverable to othercommunication devices according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example method of determining to erase aconnection history and to communicatively couple wireless ear buds in awireless ear bud case according to some embodiments of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B illustrate exemplary possible system embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below.While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that other components and configurationsmay be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The disclosed technology addresses the need in the art for untetheredwireless ear buds and a wireless ear bud case that facilitates managingthe wireless ear buds, including determining when to erase connectionhistory on either or both of the wireless ear buds, e.g., to protectuser privacy.

The present technology involves systems, methods, and non-transitorymedia containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, causeperformance of methods that allow a pair of untethered, wireless earbuds to be coupled with one another and to be made discoverable to othercommunication devices, such as to one or more companion communicationdevices. Additionally, the present technology can prevent exposing,e.g., inadvertently, a connection history of the wireless ear buds.

According to the present technology, the wireless ear buds can pair witha companion communication device (e.g. a computer, a smartphone, atablet computer, a smart watch, or the like) via a wirelesscommunication protocol (e.g., via Bluetooth®). In some cases, only aprimary wireless ear bud is paired with the companion communicationdevice. In such cases, the wireless ear buds can be communicativelycoupled to each other so that audio received from the companioncommunication device by the primary wireless ear bud can be shared withthe communicatively coupled secondary wireless ear bud. In some cases,the wireless ear buds do not include an input mechanism, such as abutton that can be pressed, through which a user could indicate intentto communicatively couple together a pair of the wireless ear buds. Insuch cases, another action can be used to indicate the user's intent tocommunicatively couple together the pair of wireless ear buds. Forexample, a wireless ear bud case can house the pair of wireless earbuds, and the wireless ear bud case can be configured to communicativelycouple the wireless ear buds to each other and to cause the wireless earbuds to be discoverable by and paired to a companion communicationdevice. In some embodiments, the wireless ear bud case includes one ormore input mechanisms by which the user can indicate intent to pair thewireless ear buds together and/or to place one or both of the wirelessear buds in a discovery mode to be paired with a companion communicationdevice.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example wireless ear bud case 100 according tosome embodiments of the present technology. The wireless ear bud case100 houses a pair of wireless ear buds 105, 110 and connects thewireless ear buds 105, 110 to each other while housed within thewireless ear bud case 100. The wireless ear bud case 100 can include acover 145 that closes to cover the wireless ear buds within the wirelessear bud case 100, and the wireless ear bud case 100 can include a sensor155 that detects when the cover 145 of the wireless ear bud case 100 isopened and/or closed.

The wireless ear bud case 100 also includes a processor 120, memory 125,and a communication interface 150. As explained in greater detail below,the wireless ear buds 105, 110 also include a communication interface,and the wireless ear bud case 100 can be used to create a communicationlink 115 between the wireless ear buds 105, 110 via the communicationinterface 150 of the wireless ear bud case 100.

In some embodiments, the communication link 115 is used as a physicalcommunication link between the wireless ear buds 105, 110, and a sharedsecret is sent between the wireless ear buds 105, 110 during a securewireless communicative coupling to each other to prevent a bad actorfrom maliciously communicatively coupling to either of the wireless earbuds 105, 110 over the air.

The wireless ear bud case 100 includes a battery 130 for re-charging thewireless ear buds 105, 110 and a charging interface 135 for connectingthe battery 130 to a power source. The wireless ear bud case 100 canalso include an indicator 140 to show a charge status of the wirelessear buds 105, 110 and/or of the wireless ear bud case 100. The wirelessear bud case 100 also can include an input mechanism 160, such as abutton. As explained in greater detail below, the input mechanism 160can be used to communicatively couple together the pair of wireless earbuds 105, 110 housed within the wireless ear bud case 100.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example wireless ear bud 165 that cancommunicatively couple with another wireless ear bud to form a pair ofuntethered, wireless ear buds according to some embodiments of thepresent technology. The wireless ear bud 165 includes a communicationinterface 175 used to communicatively couple with another wireless earbud and to pair with a source device, e.g., a companion communicationdevice that can provide audio data that the wireless ear bud(s) 165 canreproduce as audio signals for a user of the wireless ear bud(s) 165. Insome embodiments, a process of pairing the wireless ear bud 165 isinitiated when the wireless ear bud 165 is contained within ahousing/case, e.g., the wireless ear bud case 100. In somecircumstances, once a pairing mode is enabled for the wireless ear bud165, the wireless ear bud 165 remains in the enabled pairing mode untilone or more of the following occurs: (i) the wireless ear bud 165 pairswith a companion communication device, (ii) a pairing mode of thewireless ear bud 165 times out (e.g., the wireless ear bud 165 does notpair with a companion communication device within a fixed time period,such as thirty seconds), (iii) the wireless ear bud 165 and/or anotherwireless ear bud with which the wireless ear bud 165 is paired isremoved from the wireless ear bud case 100, (iv) the wireless ear budcase 100 commands one or more both of the wireless ear buds 165 to exitthe pairing mode, or (v) the companion communication device commands thewireless ear bud 165 to exit the pairing mode. The wireless ear bud 165can also include a battery 190 and one or more sensors 195 for detectinga wearing status of the wireless ear bud 165, e.g., when the wirelessear bud 165 is placed in and/or removed from an ear, whether thewireless ear bud 165 is in a user's ear, e.g., an in-ear wearing status,or is not in a user's ear, e.g., an out-of-ear wearing status.

Additionally, the wireless ear bud 165 includes an audio output 170 forconverting a received signal, e.g., which can include audio data, intoaudible sound. The signal can be received from a paired companioncommunication device (not shown) via the communication interface 175.The wireless ear bud 165 also includes a processor 180 and memory 185.The memory 185 in the wireless ear bud 165 stores firmware for operatingthe wireless ear bud 165 as well as data for coupling with otherwireless ear buds and for pairing the wireless ear bud 165 withcompanion communication devices. For example, the memory 185 in thewireless ear bud 165 can store a connection history for companioncommunication devices with which the wireless ear bud 165 has previouslypaired. The connection history can include data for automaticallypairing the wireless ear bud 165 with the companion communication devicewithout having to configure a connection between the wireless ear bud165 and the companion communication device (e.g., enter a password,exchange shared secrets, etc.). For example, the connection history caninclude one or more link keys for connecting to a wireless network(e.g., Bluetooth link keys). The memory 185 of the wireless ear bud 165can also store a MAC address that uniquely identifies the wireless earbud 165 as well as store a paired partner MAC address of anotherwireless ear bud that has previously coupled with the wireless ear bud165. The memory 185 also stores instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, causes the wireless ear bud 165 to communicatively couplewith another wireless ear bud.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example method 200 of communicatively coupling apair of untethered, wireless ear buds according to some embodiments ofthe present technology. As discussed herein, in some cases, only aprimary wireless ear bud is paired with a companion communicationdevice, and the primary wireless ear bud communicatively couples with asecondary wireless ear bud so that audio data, received from thecompanion communication device by the primary wireless ear bud, isshared with the coupled secondary wireless ear bud via the primarywireless ear bud. The method 200 involves a wireless ear bud casedetecting a predetermined event, at 210, (e.g., a button being pushed onthe wireless ear bud case, the wireless ear bud case being opened, thewireless ear bud case being opened for the first time, determining thatthe wireless ear buds are within a predetermined threshold proximity ofthe wireless ear bud case and/or to each other, etc.). In response todetecting the predetermined event, the method 200 involves the wirelessear bud case inspecting the firmware of both wireless ear buds housedwithin the wireless ear bud case, at 215, and designating the wirelessear bud that has the more recent firmware as the primary wireless earbud, at 220.

Next, at 225, the method 200 involves the wireless ear bud case causingthe primary wireless ear bud to disconnect from any existing connectionsto other wireless ear buds, and the primary wireless ear bud enabling apairing mode with a companion communication device, at 230. In someembodiments, the method 200 of communicatively coupling only continueswhen the primary wireless ear bud successfully pairs with a companioncommunication device to prevent accidentally coupling communicationdevices together. Accordingly, the method 200 involves the wireless earbud case determining that the primary wireless ear bud has successfullypaired with a companion communication device, at 235.

Next, the method 200 can involve the wireless ear bud case causing theprimary wireless ear bud to send to the secondary wireless ear bud themore recent firmware, at 240, and to cause the secondary wireless earbud to enter a communication coupling mode, such as a Bluetooth pairingmode, at 245. As explained further herein, in some embodiments of thepresent technology, the method 200 can involve the wireless ear bud casecausing the primary wireless ear bud and the secondary wireless ear budto erase any user connection history data for pairings with othercommunication devices that occurred before the current pairing mode withthe companion communication device, at 250.

Next, the method 200 involves the wireless ear bud case causing theprimary wireless ear bud to wirelessly communicatively couple to thesecondary wireless ear bud, at 255, to store address information (e.g.,a MAC address and/or link key information) for the secondary wirelessear bud on the primary wireless ear bud, at 260, and to store addressinformation (e.g., a MAC address and/or link key information) for theprimary wireless ear bud on the secondary wireless ear bud, at 265.

In some embodiments of the present technology, the stored addressinformation for paired wireless ear buds can be used to determinewhether wireless ear buds housed within a wireless ear bud case havebeen previously paired. As explained above, a wireless ear bud can storeits own MAC address and can also store the MAC address for a previouslypaired partner wireless ear bud. Accordingly, the wireless ear bud casecan determine when a paired partner MAC address for a first wireless earbud matches the MAC address for a second wireless ear bud (and viceversa) to determine whether the wireless ear buds were previouslypaired.

Also, as discussed herein, the wireless ear bud can store a connectionhistory for automatically pairing the wireless ear bud with a companioncommunication device in the future. However, this connection historystored in the wireless ear bud can result, in some cases, in allowingaccess to another person's private information when the connectionhistory is permanently stored in the wireless ear bud and withoutdetermining when to erase the stored connection history data.

FIGS. 3A to 3I illustrate a variety of scenarios in which wireless earbuds housed together within a wireless ear bud case are eithercommunication coupled or not communicatively coupled, and either haveconnection history data erased or not erased.

FIG. 3A illustrates a first scenario in which wireless ear buds 305, 310are housed within a wireless ear bud case 300. The wireless ear bud case300 stores a MAC Address “A” and a Paired Partner MAC address “B” forwireless ear bud 305, and the wireless ear bud case 300 stores a MACAddress “B” and a Paired Partner MAC address “A” for wireless ear bud310. Additionally, the wireless ear bud case 300 determines a connectionhistory for connection “α” stored in wireless ear buds 305, 310.Finally, for the first scenario illustrated in FIG. 3A, the button 360has not been pressed.

As the wireless ear buds 305, 310 have corresponding Paired Partner MACaddresses, the wireless ear bud case 300 can determine that the wirelessear buds 305, 310 have been previously paired together. Likewise, as thebutton 360 has not been pressed, the wireless ear bud case 300 does notcause the wireless ear buds 305, 310 to become discoverable to newconnections with other communication devices.

FIG. 3B illustrates a second scenario in which the wireless ear buds305, 310 are removed from the wireless ear bud case 300. In this secondscenario, because the wireless ear buds 305, 310 were previously pairedto each other and button 360 of the wireless ear bud case 300 was notpushed, the wireless ear bud case 300 does not erase the connectionhistory for connection “α”, and the wireless ear buds 305, 310 canautomatically connect to a companion communication device 390. In thissecond scenario, as the connection history is not erased and thewireless ear buds 305, 310 were previously paired together, the wirelessear buds 305, 310 are not discoverable to other communication devices toestablish new connections.

FIG. 3C illustrates a third scenario in which wireless ear buds 305, 310are housed within a wireless ear bud case 300. The wireless ear bud case300 has a MAC Address “A” and a Paired Partner MAC address “B” storedfor wireless ear bud 305, and the wireless ear bud case 300 also has aMAC Address “B” and a Paired Partner MAC address “A” stored for wirelessear bud 310. Additionally, the wireless ear bud case 300 can determine aconnection history for connection “α” stored in wireless ear buds 305,310. Finally, for the scenario illustrated in FIG. 3C, the button 360 ofthe wireless ear bud case 300 has been pressed.

As the wireless ear buds 305, 310 have corresponding Paired Partner MACaddresses, the wireless ear bud case 300 can determine that the wirelessear buds 305, 310 have been previously paired together. However, unlikethe first and second scenarios, as the button 360 has been pressed, thewireless ear bud case 300 causes the wireless ear buds 305, 310 tobecome discoverable to new connections with other communication devices.

FIG. 3D illustrates a fourth scenario in which the wireless ear buds305, 310 are removed from the wireless ear bud case 300, after thebutton 360 of the wireless ear bud case 300, from which the wireless earbuds 305, 310 are removed, is pressed. Despite the button 360 beingpressed, the wireless ear buds 305, 310 were also previously pairedtogether, and the wireless ear bud case 300 does not erase theconnection history for connection “α”. This policy decision avoids theconnection history from being erased due to an unintentional buttonpress of the button 360 of the wireless ear bud case 300. The wirelessear buds 305, 310 will automatically connect to a companioncommunication device 390. Additionally, as the button 360 of thewireless ear bud case 300 was pressed, the wireless ear buds 305, 310are discoverable to new connections with other communication devices,such as to connection “ω” with companion communication device 399, e.g.,upon a user entering appropriate credentials.

FIG. 3E illustrates a fifth scenario in which the wireless ear bud 305is housed in the wireless ear bud case 300 with another wireless ear bud311. The wireless ear bud case 300 has a MAC Address “A” and a PairedPartner MAC address “B” stored for wireless ear bud 305, and thewireless ear bud case 300 has a MAC Address “Y” and a Paired Partner MACaddress “Z” stored for wireless ear bud 311.

As the wireless ear buds 305, 311 do not have corresponding PairedPartner MAC addresses, (“B” does not match “Y” for wireless ear bud 305,and “Z” does not match “A” for wireless ear bud 311), the wireless earbud case 300 can determine that the wireless ear buds 305, 310 have notbeen previously paired (or have been previously paired and subsequentlyunpaired). The scenario illustrated in FIG. 3E can occur in a number ofcircumstances. For example, the scenario can occur when a first personasks a second person to use the first person's wireless ear bud case 300to recharge the wireless ear bud 311. Also, a group of people can sharemultiple wireless ear buds. The scenario illustrated in FIG. 3E can alsooccur when a bad actor attempts to use another person's wireless ear budto access their private communications. Therefore, the wireless ear budcase 300 can erase a connection history for wireless ear buds in certaincircumstances.

For example, the wireless ear bud case 300 can have a connection historyfor connection “α” stored for wireless ear bud 305 and a connectionhistory for connection “ω” stored for wireless ear bud 311. As wirelessear bud 311 is not be made discoverable unless the button 360 of thewireless ear bud case 300 is pressed, another user (such as a bad actor)will unable to pair wireless ear bud 305 with wireless ear bud 311 anduse wireless ear bud 311 to access information using the “ω” connectionhistories unless the button 360 is pressed.

For the scenario illustrated in FIG. 3E, the button 360 of the wirelessear bud case 300 has not been pressed, so the wireless ear bud case 300does not cause the wireless ear buds 305, 311 to be discoverable. Also,as the MAC address and Paired Partner MAC address for either wirelessear bud 305, 311 do not correspond, the wireless ear buds 305, 311 arenot communicatively coupled together. In this scenario, therefore, a badactor is unable to use the wireless ear bud 311, because the bad actorcannot discover the wireless ear bud 311.

In a scenario as illustrated in FIG. 3F, however, the wireless ear bud305 can be used with companion communication device 390 over connection“α”, and the wireless ear bud 311 can be used with companioncommunication device 399 over connection “ω”, thereby protecting a goodactor from having to reconfigure connection “ω” just because the goodactor used the wireless ear bud case 300 to charge the wireless ear bud311. The wireless ear bud 311 can be charged in the wireless ear budcase 300 without losing a connection history for either wireless ear bud305 or wireless ear bud 311, thereby allowing both wireless ear buds305, 311 to be reused for previous connections.

FIGS. 3G to 3I illustrate a scenario in which wireless ear bud 305 ishoused in the wireless ear bud case 300 with wireless ear bud 311. Asshown in FIG. 3F, the wireless ear bud case 300 has a MAC Address “A”and a Paired Partner MAC address “B” stored for wireless ear bud 305,and the wireless ear bud case 300 also has a MAC Address “Y” and aPaired Partner MAC address “Z” stored for wireless ear bud 311. As thewireless ear buds 305, 311 do not have corresponding Paired Partner MACaddresses, (“B” does not match “Y” for wireless ear bud 305, and “Z”does not match “A” for wireless ear bud 311), the wireless ear bud case300 can determine that the wireless ear buds 305, 311 have not beenpreviously paired (or have been previously paired and subsequentlyunpaired). Also, the wireless ear bud case 300 stores a connectionhistory for connection “α” for wireless ear bud 305 and a connectionhistory for connection “ω” for wireless ear bud 311. In this scenario,additionally as shown in FIG. 3G, the button 360 of the wireless ear budcase 300 has been pressed.

After the button 360 of the wireless ear bud case 300 has been pressed,one of the wireless ear buds 305, 311 initiates a communication couplingprocess (e.g., depending on which of the wireless ear buds 305, 311 isthe primary wireless ear bud) and erases connection histories for bothwireless ear bud 305 and wireless ear bud 311. Erasing the connectionhistories protects against unintended accessing of personal informationfrom a wireless ear bud.

As shown in FIG. 3H, after the button 360 is pushed, the wireless earbuds 305, 311 do not automatically connect to companion communicationdevice 390 or to companion communication device 399, because theconnection history for connection “α” and the connection history forconnection “ω” have been erased. However, the wireless ear buds 305, 311are coupled to each other and are discoverable by companioncommunication device 390 and companion communication device 399. Also,as shown in FIG. 31, after the button 360 is pressed, the wireless earbud case 300 stores a MAC Address “A” and a Paired Partner MAC address“Y” for wireless ear bud 305, and the wireless ear bud case 300 stores aMAC Address “Y” and a Paired Partner MAC address “A” stored for wirelessear bud 311. Additionally, the connection histories for both wirelessear bud 305 and wireless ear bud 311 are erased.

FIG. 4A illustrates a flow chart 400 of an example method to determinewhen to communicatively couple together wireless ear buds housed in awireless ear bud case and when to make the wireless ear budsdiscoverable for connections to other communication devices, accordingto some embodiments of the present technology.

At 402, a wireless ear bud case determines whether a first wireless earbud housed in the wireless ear bud case is already coupled to a secondwireless ear bud also housed in the wireless ear bud case. For example,the wireless ear bud case can inspect a MAC address and a paired partnerMAC address for each wireless ear bud housed in the wireless ear budcase to determine if the MAC addresses match. In other implementations,other connection information can be evaluated in addition to or in placeof MAC addresses to determine whether the wireless ear buds housed inthe wireless ear bud case are already communicatively coupled to eachother. When the wireless ear buds are already communicatively coupled toeach other, at 404, the wireless ear bud case determines whether a userhas performed an action, (e.g., pushed a button on the wireless ear budcase), the action indicating that the user wants the wireless ear budsto be discoverable for connections to other communication devices. Ifnot, at 406, the wireless ear bud case does not make the wireless earbuds discoverable, and the wireless ear buds will only connect to acompanion communication device when the wireless ear buds have aconnection history saved for the companion communication device. If theuser has performed the required action, at 408, the wireless ear budsbecome discoverable to connections by other communication devices, andthe wireless ear buds can automatically connect to a companioncommunication device when the wireless ear buds have a connectionhistory saved for the companion communication device.

When the wireless ear buds are not already communicatively coupled toeach other, at 410, the wireless ear bud case determines whether a userhas performed an action, (e.g. pushed a button on the wireless ear budcase), to indicate that the user wants the wireless ear buds to bediscoverable to establish connections with other communication devices.If not, at 406, (i) the wireless ear bud case does not cause the firstwireless ear bud and the second wireless ear bud to be communicativelycoupled to each other, (ii) the wireless ear bud case does not cause thewireless ear buds to become discoverable, and (iii) the wireless earbuds will connect to a companion communication device when the wirelessear buds have a connection history saved for the companion communicationdevice.

On the other hand, if the user has performed the requisite action, at414, the wireless ear bud case causes at least one of the wireless earbuds, e.g., a primary wireless ear bud, to become discoverable tocompanion communication devices. In some circumstances, a discovery modecan time out when a request to pair is not received by the at least oneof the wireless ear buds from a companion communication device by anexpiration time. The time out of the discovery mode can prevent thewireless ear buds from remaining in a pairing mode, e.g., when a useraccidently pushes the button on the wireless ear bud case. At 416, thewireless ear buds determine whether a pairing request is received withina predetermined threshold time. If not, at 418, the discovery mode timesout, and the wireless ear buds will connect to a companion communicationdevice, when the wireless ear buds have a connection history saved forthe companion communication device.

When a pairing request is received by at leas tone of the wireless earbuds, e.g., by a primary wireless ear bud, within a predeterminedthreshold time, at 420, the connection history for the wireless ear budsis erased. At 422, the wireless ear bud case causes the first wirelessear bud and second wireless ear bud to become communicatively coupled toeach other. At 424, the wireless ear bud case causes the wireless earbuds to store the paired partner MAC address for each other. Further, at426, the communicatively coupled pair of wireless ear buds is madediscoverable to other communication devices. At 428, a pairing requestis received from a companion communication device within a predeterminedtime. At 430, the wireless ear buds are paired with the companioncommunication device. At 432, a connection history is stored for thepaired companion communication device.

FIG. 4B illustrates a flow chart 450 of another example method todetermine to erase a connection history and to communicatively couplewireless ear buds together, in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent technology. At 452, the method includes inspecting a MAC addressand a Paired Partner MAC address for a first wireless ear bud and for asecond wireless ear bud. At 454, the method includes determining thatthe first wireless ear bud and the second wireless ear bud are notcommunicatively coupled together, e.g., based on the MAC addresses andPaired Partner MAC Addresses not matching. Next, at 456, the methodincludes receiving a request to communicatively couple the firstwireless ear bud and second wireless ear bud. For example, receiving arequest to communicatively couple the first wireless ear bud and secondwireless ear bud can involve one or more of: (i) the wireless ear budcase detecting a user pressing a button on the wireless ear bud case,(ii) a sensor on the case detecting that the wireless ear bud case isfirst opened, or (iii) detecting a pairing polling request from anothercommunication device within a threshold proximity to the wireless earbud case.

At 458, the method includes receiving a request to pair the firstwireless ear bud with a companion communication device. At 460, themethod further includes erasing previous connection histories of thefirst wireless ear bud and second wireless ear bud that were previouslystored. At 462, the method further includes communicatively coupling thefirst wireless ear bud and second wireless ear bud to each other. At464, the method further includes storing a MAC address and a PairedPartner MAC address of the first wireless ear bud and the secondwireless ear bud. In some implementations, the method can includemodifications to the order of actions, and one or more actions can beomitted, modified, or replaced with substitute actions.

As explained above, a pair of communicatively coupled wireless ear budscan involve a primary wireless ear bud that is paired with a companioncommunication device and a secondary wireless ear bud that does not pairdirectly with the companion communication device. Instead, the primarywireless ear bud receives audio data from the companion communicationdevice and routes the audio data to the secondary wireless ear bud. Insome embodiments of the present technology, the primary wireless ear budand the secondary wireless ear bud can swap roles.

In some embodiments, the wireless ear buds perform a coordinated roleswap. For example, a coordinated role swap can occur when a secondarywireless ear bud is placed in a user's ear, while the primary wirelessear bud is not placed in a user's ear (e.g., as detected by sensors195). In another example, a pair of wireless ear buds can perform acoordinated swap when a primary wireless ear bud's battery level is lowand the primary wireless ear bud transfers its role to a secondarywireless ear bud, which becomes the primary wireless ear bud, while theprimary wireless ear bud becomes the secondary wireless ear bud in thepair of wireless ear buds. In some cases, the wireless ear buds will notswap roles during a connection event (e.g., during a phone call). Also,in some cases, the wireless ear buds will not swap roles during afirmware update.

The wireless ear buds can also perform an uncoordinated swap that occurswhen a wireless ear bud changes its wireless ear bud role while theother wireless ear bud is not connected. This uncoordinated swap willoccur when a primary wireless ear bud becomes a secondary wireless earbud or when a secondary wireless ear bud becomes a primary wireless earbud. For example, if a primary wireless ear bud connects to a source(e.g., a smartphone, a smart watch, etc.), and the source rejects theconnection due to an error indicating that the source is alreadyconnected to an other wireless ear bud, the primary wireless ear budwill become a secondary wireless ear bud and will try to find the otherwireless ear bud. In another example, a secondary wireless ear bud willtry to connect to a primary wireless ear bud for a predetermined numberof times (e.g., three times) and, if the secondary wireless ear budcannot find the primary wireless ear bud after trying for thepredetermined number of times, the secondary wireless ear bud will swapto become the primary wireless ear bud. Also, in some cases, if thesecondary wireless ear bud is placed in-ear, it will immediately swap tobe the primary wireless ear bud, if the secondary wireless ear bud hastried at least one time to find the primary wireless ear bud. Also, awireless ear bud case can command either wireless ear bud (the primarywireless ear bud or the secondary wireless ear bud) to change its roleto facilitate scenarios where two wireless ear buds are assigned thesame role.

Additionally, a user can disable a swap of roles between wireless earbuds by changing a capability of a wireless ear bud, e.g., by forcing awireless ear bud to enable a microphone capability. In some cases, thewireless ear bud will not enable the microphone capability until theuser explicitly chooses this option.

For example, in some cases, a user will select a wireless ear bud (of apair of wireless ear buds) to enable a microphone capability of theselected wireless ear bud. This selected wireless ear bud can bereferred to as a Mic-Bud. The other wireless ear bud can be referred toas the Mute-Bud. The Mute-Bud will always try to connect to the Mic-Bud.If it does not find the Mic-Bud, the Mute-Bud will then try to connectto a last known communication device (a smart phone, a smart watch,etc.). If the Mute-Bud connects to a communication device, the Mute-Budwill not connect using a voice profile (as the Mute-Bud is configured ina “mute” non-voice mode). The user can, through an operating system,e.g., via an interface of the connected device, change configurations sothat the Mute-Bud becomes the Mic-Bud. If selected, the Mic-Bud willconnect to the communication device using a voice profile. Also,wireless ear buds can include a sensor to detect taps, and a tap controlcan be used to answer a phone call using the wireless ear bud whenpaired with a companion communication device, e.g., with a phone. Whenthe tap control is used to answer a call with the Mute-Bud, the Mute-Budwill automatically become the Mic-Bud.

In an embodiment, a method includes: (i) determining that a first audiooutput device is not wirelessly communicatively coupled to a secondaudio output device; (ii) detecting a request to wirelesslycommunicatively couple the first audio output device and the secondaudio output device together and to allow the first audio output deviceto be discoverable by a companion communication device; (iii) causingone or more wireless link keys stored on the first audio output deviceand the second audio output device to be erased; and (iv) wirelesslycommunicatively coupling the first audio output device with the secondaudio output device.

In some embodiments, determining that the first audio output device isnot wirelessly communicatively coupled to the second audio output deviceincludes determining that a MAC address of the first audio output deviceis not stored as a paired partner MAC address on the second audio outputdevice. In some embodiments, wirelessly communicatively coupling thefirst audio device with the second audio output device includes causinga MAC address on the first audio output device to be shared with thesecond audio output device as a paired partner MAC address. In someembodiments, the method further includes (v) determining that the firstaudio output device wirelessly connects with the companion communicationdevice; and (vi) storing, in the first audio output device, a wirelesslink key for the companion communication device used to automaticallyconnect the first audio output device with the companion communicationdevice. In some embodiments, detecting the request to wirelesslycommunicatively couple the first audio output device and the secondaudio output device includes detecting that the first audio outputdevice and the second audio output device are placed in a housing, anddetecting a button being pushed on the housing. In some embodiments,detecting the request to wirelessly communicatively couple the firstaudio output device and the second audio output device includesdetecting that the first audio output device and the second audio outputdevice are placed in a housing, and detecting the housing being openedin a first instance. In some embodiments, detecting the request towirelessly communicatively couple the first audio output device and thesecond audio output device includes: detecting that the first audiooutput device and the second audio output device are placed in ahousing; detecting the first audio output device and the second audiooutput device being removed from the housing; and detecting a wirelessdiscovery polling request from the companion communication device.

In an embodiment, a wireless ear bud case includes: (i) a housing forstoring a first wireless ear bud and a second wireless ear bud; (ii) aprocessor; (iii) a network interface configured to allow the processorto inspect a first memory location on the first wireless ear bud and asecond memory location on the second wireless ear bud and to determinethat the first wireless ear bud is not communicatively coupled to thesecond wireless ear bud; and (iv) an input configured for receiving arequest to communicatively couple the first wireless ear bud with thesecond wireless ear bud and to allow the first wireless ear bud to bediscoverable by a companion communication device.

In some embodiments, the processor of the wireless ear bud case isfurther configured to erase one or more wireless link keys stored on thefirst wireless ear bud and the second wireless ear bud and to cause, viathe network interface, the first wireless ear bud to communicativelycouple with the second wireless ear bud. In some embodiments, theprocessor of the wireless ear bud case is further configured todetermine that the first wireless ear bud is not coupled to the secondwireless ear bud by at least determining that a MAC address stored inthe first memory location on the first wireless ear bud is not stored asa paired partner MAC address in the second memory location on the secondwireless ear bud. In some embodiments, the processor of the wireless earbud case is further configured to cause a MAC address on the firstwireless ear bud to be shared with the second wireless ear bud as apaired partner MAC address when the first wireless ear bud iscommunicatively coupled to the second wireless ear bud. In someembodiments, the input of the wireless ear bud case includes a button onthe housing of the wireless ear bud case. In some embodiments, the inputof the wireless ear bud case includes a sensor on the housing that isconfigured to detect the housing being opened.

In an embodiment, a method includes: detecting a predetermined event;and in response to detecting the predetermined event, pairing a primarywireless ear bud with a secondary wireless ear bud, the pairing furtherincluding: disconnecting the primary wireless ear bud from any existingwireless connections; and wirelessly connecting the primary wireless earbud to the secondary wireless ear bud.

In some embodiments, the method further includes: detecting that afirmware of the primary wireless ear bud is newer than a firmware of thesecondary wireless ear bud; sending the firmware of the primary wirelessear bud from the primary wireless ear bud to the secondary wireless earbud; and installing the new firmware at the secondary wireless ear bud.In some embodiments, the method further includes disconnecting thesecondary wireless ear bud from any existing wireless connections; andwirelessly connecting the secondary wireless ear bud to the primarywireless ear bud. In some embodiments, the method further includeserasing from the primary wireless ear bud and from the secondarywireless ear bud any user history data, including previously pairedwireless ear bud data. In some embodiments, detecting the predeterminedevent includes one or both of: receiving a user input from a wirelessear bud housing; or detecting that two unpaired wireless ear buds arewithin a predetermined proximity threshold of each other. In someembodiments, wirelessly connecting the primary wireless ear bud to thesecondary wireless ear bud includes: storing a first address for theprimary wireless ear bud on the secondary wireless ear bud; and storinga second address for the secondary wireless ear bud on the primarywireless ear bud. In some embodiments, detecting the predetermined eventincludes: detecting that the primary wireless ear bud and the secondarywireless ear bud are placed in a wireless ear bud housing; determiningthat the primary wireless ear bud and the secondary wireless ear bud arenot paired to each other; and receiving a user input to pair the primarywireless ear bud with the secondary wireless ear bud.

In an embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstores instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause thecomputing device to perform a method including: determining that a firstaudio output device is not communicatively coupled to a second audiooutput device by at least determining that a MAC address of the firstaudio output device is not stored as a paired partner MAC address on thesecond audio output device; detecting a request to communicativelycouple the first audio output device with the second audio output deviceand to allow the communicatively coupled first audio output device to bediscoverable by a companion communication device by at least detectingthat the first audio output device and the second audio output deviceare placed in a housing and detecting a button being pushed on thehousing; pairing the first audio output device with the companioncommunication device; causing one or more wireless connection keysstored on the first audio output device and on the second audio outputdevice to be erased; communicatively coupling the first audio outputdevice with the second audio output device; causing the MAC address ofthe first audio output device to be shared with the second audio outputdevice as the paired partner MAC address on the second audio outputdevice; and storing, in the first audio output device, a wirelessconnection key for the companion communication device used toautomatically connect the first audio output device with the third audiooutput device

In an embodiment, an apparatus includes: means for determining that afirst audio output device is not communicatively coupled to a secondaudio output device by at least determining that a MAC address of thefirst audio output device is not stored as a paired partner MAC addresson the second audio output device; means for detecting a request tocommunicatively couple the first audio output device with the secondaudio output device and to allow the communicatively coupled first audiooutput device to be discoverable by a companion communication device byat least detecting that the first audio output device and the secondaudio output device are placed in a housing and detecting a button beingpushed on the housing; means for pairing the first audio output devicewith the companion communication device; means for causing one or morewireless connection keys stored on the first audio output device and onthe second audio output device to be erased; means for communicativelycoupling the first audio output device with the second audio outputdevice; means for causing the MAC address of the first audio outputdevice to be shared with the second audio output device as the pairedpartner MAC address on the second audio output device; and means forstoring, in the first audio output device, a wireless connection key forthe companion communication device used to automatically connect thefirst audio output device with the third audio output device.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B illustrate exemplary possible system embodiments.The more appropriate embodiment will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art when practicing the present technology. Persons ofordinary skill in the art will also readily appreciate that other systemembodiments are possible.

FIG. 5A illustrates a conventional system bus computing systemarchitecture 500 in which the components of the system are in electricalcommunication with each other using a bus 505. Exemplary system 500includes a processing unit (CPU or processor) 510 and a system bus 505that couples various system components including the system memory 515,such as read only memory (ROM) 520 and random access memory (RAM) 525,to the processor 510. The system 500 can include a cache of high-speedmemory connected directly with, in close proximity to, or integrated aspart of the processor 510. The system 500 can copy data from the memory515 and/or the storage device 530 to the cache 512 for quick access bythe processor 510. In this way, the cache can provide a performanceboost that avoids processor 510 delays while waiting for data. These andother modules can control or be configured to control the processor 510to perform various actions. Other system memory 515 may be available foruse as well. The memory 515 can include multiple different types ofmemory with different performance characteristics. The processor 510 caninclude any general purpose processor and a hardware module or softwaremodule, such as module 1 532, module 2 534, and module 3 536 stored instorage device 530, configured to control the processor 510 as well as aspecial-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporatedinto the actual processor design. The processor 510 may essentially be acompletely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores orprocessors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processormay be symmetric or asymmetric.

To enable user interaction with the computing device 500, an inputdevice 545 can represent any number of input mechanisms, such as amicrophone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphicalinput, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth. An outputdevice 535 can also be one or more of a number of output mechanismsknown to those of skill in the art. In some instances, multimodalsystems can enable a user to provide multiple types of input tocommunicate with the computing device 500. The communications interface540 can generally govern and manage the user input and system output.There is no restriction on operating on any particular hardwarearrangement and therefore the basic features here may easily besubstituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangements as they aredeveloped.

Storage device 530 is a non-volatile memory and can be a hard disk orother types of computer readable media which can store data that areaccessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges,random access memories (RAMs) 525, read only memory (ROM) 520, andhybrids thereof.

The storage device 530 can include software modules 532, 534, 536 forcontrolling the processor 510. Other hardware or software modules arecontemplated. The storage device 530 can be connected to the system bus505. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs a particularfunction can include the software component stored in acomputer-readable medium in connection with the necessary hardwarecomponents, such as the processor 510, bus 505, display 535, and soforth, to carry out the function.

FIG. 5B illustrates a computer system 550 having a chipset architecturethat can be used in executing the described method and generating anddisplaying a graphical user interface (GUI). Computer system 550 is anexample of computer hardware, software, and firmware that can be used toimplement the disclosed technology. System 550 can include a processor555, representative of any number of physically and/or logicallydistinct resources capable of executing software, firmware, and hardwareconfigured to perform identified computations. Processor 555 cancommunicate with a chipset 560 that can control input to and output fromprocessor 555. In this example, chipset 560 outputs information tooutput 565, such as a display, and can read and write information tostorage device 570, which can include magnetic media, and solid statemedia, for example. Chipset 560 can also read data from and write datato RAM 575. A bridge 580 for interfacing with a variety of userinterface components 585 can be provided for interfacing with chipset560. Such user interface components 585 can include a keyboard, amicrophone, touch detection and processing circuitry, a pointing device,such as a mouse, and so on. In general, inputs to system 550 can comefrom any of a variety of sources, machine generated and/or humangenerated.

Chipset 560 can also interface with one or more communication interfaces590 that can have different physical interfaces. Such communicationinterfaces can include interfaces for wired and wireless local areanetworks, for broadband wireless networks, as well as personal areanetworks. Some applications of the methods for generating, displaying,and using the GUI disclosed herein can include receiving ordereddatasets over the physical interface or be generated by the machineitself by processor 555 analyzing data stored in storage 570 or 575.Further, the machine can receive inputs from a user via user interfacecomponents 585 and execute appropriate functions, such as browsingfunctions by interpreting these inputs using processor 555.

It can be appreciated that exemplary systems 500 and 550 can have morethan one processor 510 or be part of a group or cluster of computingdevices networked together to provide greater processing capability.

For clarity of explanation, in some instances the present technology maybe presented as including individual functional blocks includingfunctional blocks comprising devices, device components, steps orroutines in a method embodied in software, or combinations of hardwareand software.

In some embodiments the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, andmemories can include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit streamand the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readablestorage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals,electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

Methods according to the above-described examples can be implementedusing computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwiseavailable from computer readable media. Such instructions can comprise,for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network.The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries,intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, orsource code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used tostore instructions, information used, and/or information created duringmethods according to described examples include magnetic or opticaldisks, flash memory, Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices provided withnon-volatile memory, networked storage devices, and so on.

Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can comprisehardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of a variety ofform factors. Typical examples of such form factors include laptops,smart phones, small form factor personal computers, personal digitalassistants, and so on. Functionality described herein also can beembodied in peripherals or add-in cards. Such functionality can also beimplemented on a circuit board among different chips or differentprocesses executing in a single device, by way of further example.

The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computingresources for executing them, and other structures for supporting suchcomputing resources are means for providing the functions described inthese disclosures.

Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explainaspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of theclaims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements insuch examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use theseexamples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further andalthough some subject matter may have been described in languagespecific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it isto be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claimsis not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. Forexample, such functionality can be distributed differently or performedin components other than those identified herein. Rather, the describedfeatures and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systemsand methods within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A method for controlling a wireless ear bud, the method comprising:responsive to an input to answer a connection request: configuring thewireless ear bud to an active microphone state, when the wireless earbud is in a muted microphone state; and connecting the wireless ear buddirectly to a companion communication device, when the wireless ear budis connected indirectly to the companion communication device via asecond wireless ear bud; and answering the connection request via thewireless ear bud while in the active microphone state and via thecompanion communication device to which the wireless ear bud is directlyconnected.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless ear budconnects directly to the companion communication device using a voiceprofile after configuring the wireless ear bud to the active microphonestate.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless ear bud connectsdirectly to the companion communication device using a non-voice profilewhile in the muted microphone state and subsequently changes to use thevoice profile after configuring the wireless ear bud to the activemicrophone state.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:detecting the input to answer the connection request via a sensor of thewireless ear bud.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein a tap comprises atleast part of the input.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theconnection request comprises an indication of an incoming voice call. 7.The method of claim 1, further comprising: prior to answering theconnection request, configure the wireless ear bud to the activemicrophone state in response to a configuration input received via thecompanion communication device.
 8. A wireless ear bud comprising: acommunications interface configured to communicate with a companioncommunication device and with a second wireless ear bud; a memorystoring instructions for controlling operation of the wireless ear bud;and a processor that, in response to execution of the instructions, isconfigured to: responsive to an input to answer a connection request:configure the wireless ear bud to an active microphone state, when thewireless ear bud is in a muted microphone state; and connect thewireless ear bud directly to a companion communication device, when thewireless ear bud is connected indirectly to the companion communicationdevice via a second wireless ear bud; and answer the connection requestvia the wireless ear bud while in the active microphone state and viathe companion communication device to which the wireless ear bud isdirectly connected.
 9. The wireless ear bud of claim 8, wherein thewireless ear bud connects directly to the companion communication deviceusing a voice profile after configuring the wireless ear bud to theactive microphone state.
 10. The wireless ear bud of claim 8, whereinthe wireless ear bud connects directly to the companion communicationdevice using a non-voice profile while in the muted microphone state andsubsequently changes to use the voice profile after configuring thewireless ear bud to the active microphone state.
 11. The wireless earbud of claim 8, further comprising a sensor, wherein the wireless earbud detects, via the sensor, the input to answer the connection request.12. The wireless ear bud of claim 11, wherein a tap comprises at leastpart of the input.
 13. The wireless ear bud of claim 8, wherein theconnection request comprises an indication of an incoming voice call.14. The wireless ear bud of claim 8, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: prior to answering the connection request, configure thewireless ear bud to the active microphone state in response to aconfiguration input received via the companion communication device. 15.A companion communication device comprising: a communications interfaceconfigured to communicate with a first wireless ear bud and a secondwireless ear bud; a memory storing instructions for controllingoperation of the companion communication device; and a processor that,in response to execution of the instructions, is configured to:responsive to an indication to answer a connection request: configurethe first wireless ear bud to an active microphone state, when the firstwireless ear bud is in a muted microphone state; and connect the firstwireless ear bud directly to the companion communication device, whenthe first wireless ear bud is connected indirectly to the companioncommunication device via the second wireless ear bud; and answer theconnection request while the first wireless ear bud is in the activemicrophone state and connected directly to the companion communicationdevice.
 16. The companion communication device of claim 15, wherein thefirst wireless ear bud connects directly to the companion communicationdevice using a voice profile while in the active microphone state. 17.The companion communication device of claim 15, wherein the firstwireless ear bud connects directly to the companion communication deviceusing a non-voice profile while in the muted microphone state andsubsequently changes to use the voice profile after changingconfiguration to the active microphone state.
 18. The companioncommunication device of claim 15, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to, in response to execution of the instructions: prior toanswering the connection request, configure the first wireless ear budto the active microphone state in response to a configuration inputreceived via the companion communication device.
 19. The companioncommunication device of claim 15, wherein the indication to answer theconnection request comprises a message from the first wireless ear budresponsive to an input received via a sensor of the first wireless earbud.
 20. The companion communication device of claim 19, wherein a tapcomprises at least part of the input.